Needle bed and a transfer needle in a flat type knitting machine



1965 SADAMI IMON NEEDLE BED AND A TRANSFER NEEDLE IN A FLAT TYPE KNITTING, MACHINE Filed July 6, 1962 FIG. I

FIG.5

IwsumR Sodumi IMON BY .224 MM ATIDRNEVS United States Patent 3,167,939 NEEDLE BED AND A TRANSFER NEEDLE IN A FLAT TYPE KNITTING MACHINE Sadami Imon, '13 Futatsubashi-machi 1-chon1e, Nakamura-lru, Nagoya, Japan Filed July 6, 1962, Ser. No. 208,020 Claims priority, application Japan, .luiy 13, 1961,

(utility model) 36/ 35,778 3 Claims. (Cl. 66-96) This invention relates to a needle bed in flat or Lamb type knitting machines and a transfer needle used in conjunction with the needle guide groove in said needle bed for effecting so-called decreasing of the loops of thread.

In eifecting plain knitting in the operation of a flat type knitting machine, the depending knitted fabric at the front end of the needle bed will be drawn inwardly from the edges toward the center of the bed and the selvages thereof will be strongly pulled inwardly at an angle of nearly 40, and consequently loops of thread passing around the knitting needles or the transfer needles will be similarly pulled, so that there will be inadequate space heneath the knitting needle or the transfer needle. When the loop of thread is to be transferred from the knitting needle to the transfer needle, the latch on the knitting needle will be turned and will rest on the upper face of the free end of the transfer needle, allowing the loop of thread to slide along said latch onto the transfer needle, so that there is no necessity of leaving any space beneath the knitting needle. On the other hand, when the loop of thread is to be transferred from the transfer needle to the knitting needle, the front end of the knitting needle must pass through the guide groove formed in the lower side of the horizontal arm of the transfer needle and, un less there is left enough space beneath the transfer needle in the loop, the front end of the knitting needle can not be passed through the loop into the guide groove of the transfer needle. Now, with the conventional transfer needle employed for plain knitting there will not be left enough space in the loop to allow easy passing of the front end of the knitting needle beneath the transfer needle through the loop of thread. The object of the present invention is to provide a new transfer needle and a needle bed, wherein the above mentioned disadvantage has been removed.

The accompanying drawing will serve to illustrate specific embodiment of the present invention, in order that its utility and functioning will be thoroughly appreciated. It will be understood, however, that this is by way of illustration only and is not to be taken as limiting the invention in any way. In the drawing:

FIGURE 1 is a side view showing the relationship between a knitting needle and a transfer needle according to the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a similar side view of the essential portion of FIGURE 1 on an enlarged scale;

FIGURE 3 is a cross sectional view of transfer needle and the knitting needle, the section being taken along line IIIIII of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a longitudinal section of a part of the needle bed;

FIGURE 5 is a plan view thereof;

FIGURE 6 is a front view of the needle bed as seen from the right of FIGURE 5; and

FIGURE 7 shows in detail a cross sectional view of the needle bed with the knitting needles, the section being taken along line VIIVII of FIGURE 4.

Referring to the drawing, the reference numeral 1 designates a stem of a transfer needle which has its lower end bent forwardly to form an arm or pawl 2. This pawl 2 has on its under side an inverted U-shaped groove 3 defined by side walls or aprons 4 and 5. The outer side wall 4 has its height substantially equal to or slightly smaller than the height of a knitting needle 6 passing through the groove 3, while the inner side wall 5 has its height substantially equal to or slightly smaller than one half of the height of the knitting needle 6, as shown in FIGURE 3. In the front part of the needle bed 7, as shown in FIGURE 5, the side of the wall defining each guide groove 8 which is nearer to the center line A-A of the bed is cut away as at 8 to the same depth as the bottom of the needle guide groove 8 to widen the width thereof at the front part of the groove, so that the higher side wall 4 of the groove 3 of the transfer needle may be accommodated. The front end of each knitting needle 6 is adapted to be moved back and forth through said groove 3 formed in the transfer needle.

While one side wall 8 is cut away to the same depth as the bottom of the groove 8, on the opposite side of each groove 8, i.e. on the side of each wall facing away from the center line A-A, there is provided a small projection 9 having a height substantially equal to one third of the height of the knitting needle 6. Owing to said provision of the small projection 9, when the loop of thread is pulled at an angle of nearly 40 as shown in FIGURE 3, any tendency of the front end of the knitting needle 6 to be bent toward the right in FIGURE 3 is prevented.

In the drawing the needle bed 7 is shown as horizontally disposed for the sake of convenience, but it is to be understood that in practice the line BB in FIGS. 1 and 4 is vertical and that the needle bed is sloping at an angle of nearly 50.

According to the above mentioned arrangement of the transfer needle, even when the loop passing around the inner bent corner a( FIG. 2) of the transfer needle 1 is strongly pulled in the direction of nearly 40, there is left enough space I) to allow free passage of the knitting needle as shown in FIGURE 3, so that the desired transfer of the loop from the transfer needle to the knitting needle may be effectively conducted. In view of the above, it is possible to readily effect so-called automatic decreasing of the loops of thread in the fiat type knitting machine.

What I claim is:

1. A transfer needle for use in conjunction with a needle bed of a fiat type knitting machine having a plurality of needle guide grooves, each guiding a knitting needle, said transfer needle comprising a horizontal arm adapted to be received in a needle guide groove in the needle bed and having two depending side walls on its under side defining an inverted U-shaped groove, one side wall of said groove having a height which at most is substantially equal to the height of a knitting needle, the other side wall of said groove being shorter than said one wall and having a height which at most is substantially equal to one half of the height of the knitting needle.

2. In combination, a transfer needle and a needle bed for a flat type knitting machine, said needle bed having a plurality of walls defining between them needle guide grooves in said needle bed, each adapted to guide a knitting needle, said transfer needle comprising a horizontal arm positioned in a needle guide groove in the needle bed and having two depending side walls on its under side defining an inverted U-shaped groove, one side wall of said groove having a height which at most is substantially equal to the height of a knitting needle, the other side wall of said groove being shorter than said one wall and having a height which at most is substantially equal to one half of the height of the knitting needle, each wall of a guide groove in said needle bed having the side nearer to the center line of the needle bed cut away to the same depth as the depth of the groove in the needle,

bed for accommodating the said one Wall of the transfer needle, and a small projection on the side of each wall of-a guide groove which faces away from the center line of the needleib'ed, said projection extending fromthe bottom of the groove in the needle bed, about one third of the height of a knitting needle for accommodating the other wall of the transfer needle and for preventing bending ofthe front end of a knitting needle when a force is exerted on it laterally thereof.

' 3 A needle bed for a flat type knitting machine and adapted to be used with atransfer needle having a horizontal arm with two depending side Walls on its under side v defining an inverted U-shaped groove and one side Wall of the groove having a height which at most is substantially equal to the height of a knitting needle and the otherside wall of the groove being shorter than said one 7 Wall and having a height which at most is substantially equal to one half of the height of the knitting needle, said needle bed having a plurality of walls defining between, them needle guide grooves in theneedle. bed, each Wall of a guide groove having the side nearer to the center line of the needle bed cut away to the same depth as the depth of the groove in the needle bed for accommodating the one wall of the transfer needle, and a small projection on the side of each Wall of a guide groove which faces away from the centerline of the needle bed, said projection extending from the bottom of the groove in the needle bed about one-third of-the height of a knitting needle for accommodating the other, wall of the transfer needle and for preventing bending of the front end of a knitting needle when a force is exerted on'it laterally thereof.

References Cited by the-Examiner I FOREIGN PATENTS 653,734 12/37 Germany.

RUSSELL ,C. MADER, Primary Examiner. 

1. A TRANSFER NEEDLE FOR USE IN CONJUNCTION WITH A NEEDLE BED OF A FLAT TUPE KNITTING MACHINE HAVING A PLRRALITY OF NEEDLE GUIDE GROOVES, EACH GUIDING A KNITTING NEEDLE, SAID TRANSFER NEEDLE COMPRISING A HORIZONTAL ARM ADAPTED TO BE RECEIVED IN A NEEDLE GUIDE GROOVE IN THE NEEDLE BED AND HAVING TWO DEPENDING SIDE WALLS ON ITS UNDER SIDE DEFINING AN INVERTED U-SHAPED GROOVE, ONE SIDE WALL OF SAID GROOVE HAVING A HEIGHT WHICH AT MOST IS SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL TO THE HEIGHT OF THE KNITTING NEEDLE, THE OTHER SIDE WALL OF SAID GROOVE BEING SHORTER THAN SAID ONE WALL AND HAVING A HEIGHT WHICH AT MOST IS SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL TO ONE HALF OF THE HEIGHT OF THE KNITTING NEEDLE. 